Disgraced
by fanfictor17
Summary: Arthur just had to retrieve the halfling his sister spawned with a human, then the merman would no longer be disgraced, allowed to return to the pods. But nothing is ever that easy, is it? Eventual OCxCanada, USUK
1. Chapter 1

Matthew thought he had the perfect job.

As park ranger at Twinkle Lake, he just had to man the information centre, receive complaints from the cottages and campsites, and do coastguard duty when the call came for it.

It was a little lonely, he had to admit, seeing as the more permanent residents were rather reclusive, and the information centre was usually overlooked by the campers- who wanted to go learn when you could just go swimming or biking or waterskiing or anything else fun? Indeed, Matthew had only had one visitor that day, a woman who came in to ask if they sold firewood. Giving her directions to the closest store, the ranger watched her drive off and sighed.

At least he had his dog Kuma to keep him company. Well, as much company a dog that sleeps all day could.

-0-

Kuma seemed agitated. Usually, the labrador would lazily look out the truck window on he way back to the cabin from the centre, or doze, but today he was all jumpy.

Matt attributed it to the changing season, as the fish would be migrating back into the lake through the rivers this time of year, swimming back up to the lake from where the lakes fed into the ocean to spawn (and also be caught and eaten by humans and animals).

Pulling up to his cabin, Matthew expected Kuma to jump out and run to the dock, and maybe jump in. It had been a really hot day, the sweat evaporating off the ranger's back as it formed.

"I could use a quick swim too," he thought aloud, opening his door. Before he could get out however, to open the passenger side door for his furry companion, Kuma scrambled over his lap and out, skittering up the path and under the porch, barking.

Matt started to scramble out, when his seatbelt yanked him back. Cursing softly, he unbuckled it and dashed off after the had just arrived at the porch when he spotted movement out the other end of it, around the back of the cabin. Kuma had chased something out from under the cabin, and was following it around. Matt couldn't see what though, as the large wood structure blocked his view. He sprinted around and managed to grab Kuma right as he circled back around to the porch, whatever he was barking at escaping underneath the cabin again.

"Hey! Be quiet!" Matthew urged the labrador. He didn't want to annoy his neighbours, though the odds of that were pretty slim, considering they were at least a kilometre away, on the other side of some dense underbrush and forest.

Wrestling the dog back by the collar, the ranger didn't realize his glasses were coming loose until one violent tug from Kuma sent his glasses flying. It was a big struggle to keep the dog contained while he reached down for his glasses.

"Darn racoon better run off, I don't think I can hold Kuma back," Matt thought, thinking that a furry bandit had curled up under his cabin while he was out, to get some sleep.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a dark beige blur go running by the side of him. Startled at the size, he accidentally let go of Kuma, who bolted, yapping louder than before.

Matt quickly scooped up his glasses and slid them on as he heard the thrashing of the reeds by the water's edge, right by the dock.

It was as his eyes finally adjusted to the corrective lenses that he saw the last bit of the shape dive into the water.

A pair of dirty feet, human in nature.

Matt watched as Kuma jumped in after the kid (Matt assumed it was a kid, seeing as the blur hadn't been too big), and swam after the receding outline, barking the whole time.

He ran down to the end of the dock and yelled at Kuma to come back, all the while waiting for the kid to emerge. They had gone in a straight line straight out towards the middle of the lake, so Matt had a fairly good view of them- and they looked like they were going deeper and deeper, by the way that it was getting harder to see them.

Worried, Matt watched, but no sign of surfacing. After a while, even Kuma had given up, and came swimming back to the dock. Matt hauled the dog up, and turned back to face the water.

Nothing.

He debated going out in the boat, but he wasn't sure that the kid hadn't turned, and he would take ages to scout for them. Besides, had it _really_ been a human? Kuma never behaved like that around anyone, and only barked at other creatures.

He shook his head in disbelief as Kuma shook off the salty lake water. Those feet had to have belonged to a human, there was no doubt. But where had they gone?

Matt decided not to worry, and followed Kuma back up the path to the cabin.

He didn't see the head emerge halfway across the lake, looking at him from the water. He didn't see the arms move bangs out of the head's eyes, or the head dive back under, pulling behind it a slim torso and a long, wet fin.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt wiped down Kuma, but his thoughts were elsewhere. It was his job to know who was in the park and to make sure no trouble came up, and if any did, to deal with it quickly. Yet, he felt a lack of a need for action for potentially seeing someone drown because his won dog had chased them into the lake. He squinted out the window towards the lake, but saw nothing except water and the opposite side of the lake. Not that he would have seen too much that far out, his eyes not being the best….

The ranger was startled out of his thoughts by the phone ringing.

Visitors and locals always called his cell phone, as it would guarantee that they would get through to him, so a call on the landline only meant one person.

Matthew picked up the receiver and sat down in a plush chair.

"Hey Alfred."

"Hey bro!" Matthew's brother half-yelled into the phone, the background noise suggesting he was on the highway.

"You really shouldn't use your phone while driving," Matthew rubbed his eyes annoyedly. Sometimes, his brother was just a big lunkhead, and was sure to get himself killed by not thinking.

"Relax! There's like, no one around. Besides, you said to call before coming over, right?"

Matt perked up, sitting higher in his chair. "You're coming?" He slouched back. "Who are you bringing this time? I really don't need to be picking up after your friends again- this is my _workplace,"_ he enunciated the word specifically so Alfred would understand the concern.

"Chill! It's just me- I though we could spend the weekend together. I got the week off from my boss, so I thought I'd come see my baby bro."

"You remember I'm older ri-"

"Kheeeeeech I can't hear ya! I'll be there in a few days kheeeeeerch, bye!" Alfred pretended that the line was breaking, and Matt knew it. Smiling, he put down the phone and sat for a minute, mentally going over what he would need to do to prepare for his twin's arrival- there was setting up the guest room, making sure that the fridge was over-stocked, and generic damage control.

At length, he got up to start making dinner for himself. _Hopefully he doesn't bring as many fireworks this time,_ he thought, shaking his head.

-0-

Seeing as the evening was so nice and calm, Matt ate on the dock, his feet trailing in the water. Twinkle Lake was one of the few salt-water lakes in the country, and stung a small blister on his foot but Matthew didn't really care in that moment. Everything was just so calm and peaceful, all quiet.

He set down his plate on the dock, and leant back on his hands, lowering himself onto the wood. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out, relishing the-

BARK BARK BARK RWARRRRR

Not again.

Opening his eyes, Matt jerked up, turning behind him to lightly glare at Kuma, going nuts on his tether on the porch. Kuma couldn't be trusted near a lit BBQ, not since the Corndogs Incident, so whenever his owner cooked, Kuma was tied down for everyone's safety. Now, he looked mad at the arrangement, yanking and straining against his leash.

"Hush!"

The dog quieted a little, so Matthew turned back to the lake, and noticed a fresh set of ripples on the water, cascading out in growing circles. He reached for his beer to take a sip, still watching the water, and accidentally knocked the can over.

"Nooooooo" he whined, and got up to get a cloth to wipe off his wet shorts. Inside, he heard Kuma start up again, nearly choking from all the pressure on his collar.

Matthew ran outside and spotted more rippled right up next to the dock. Frowning, he went back to the end, but saw nothing in the water.

Then, he looked down at his plate.

His hot dog had gone, and a trail of water droplets went from the plate to the edge of the wooden dock, outlining a wet handprint.

-0-

Fortunately for his fraying nerves, Kuma had decided to sleep in Matthew's room that night, instead of his usual perch on the living room couch. Neither had really wanted to be alone that night, the spooky evening creeping them both out. The night was quiet so far, only the sounds of the wind slapping some laundry on his clothesline disturbing it.

Matthew eventually fell asleep after convincing himself that it had just been an overeager camper testing out their diving equipment. The handprint had had more splayed fingers than a normal hand, which could be explained by diving gloves- that kind that imitated webbed fingers.

He dreamed of the salty water closing around him, dark and entangling.

Out on the water, trouble stirred. From the surface, two blurs could be seen racing around underwater, colliding and chasing one another. After a moment, one of them broke free of the other and streaked towards the ranger's dock.

A pair of wet arms emerged from the water and yanked on the dock ladder, pulling a body up and out.

-0-

Matthew awoke with a start. He had been dreaming of seaweed gagging him when the ear-splitting cracking had jolted him awake. The cracking continued for a sec, enough time for the human to realize that it was coming from the dock, and was the sound of wood breaking.

He turned on the light and probed for his glasses on the bedside table, nearly knocking them onto the floor in his hurry. Shoving them on his face, he went for the door alone, Kuma now cowering under the bed.

Matt grabbed the kitchen flashlight and turned on the porchlights. They only lit up to the start of the dock, leaving the dock in relative darkness, the new moon not helping.

"Hello!"

Silence answered him.

"Who's there!"

Again, no one. The ranger went back to his room to grab his cell, then went out to the dock. He swept the flashlight's light across the boards, lighting up the splintered wood. His ladder was totalled, broken and cracked into pieces beyond use. He didn't dare touch them, seeing how sharp they were right flashed the light around more, lighting the dock, his yard, and the edge of the woods. Then, he slowly moved the light back towards the water.

The light illuminated the fresh ripples on the water, and the bubbles that surfaced from the middle of their circle. Matt pulled the phone up to his ear and called his brother.

-0-

Matt used his cell again in the morning to call in to his co-worker Roman. The jolly old grandfather only worked weekends, but since it was a Thursday and relatively close to the weekend, the blonde ranger hoped that he could take over for him.

Matt had gotten no sleep after calling his brother, who hadn't picked up since it was the middle of the night. Scared out of his wits, he had stayed up, all the lights on in the cabin and the door barred. He had been tempted to pull out the emergency rifle from the storage cabinet, but after dozens of scary movies had previously told him, in his state he would more likely shoot himself or Kuma by mistake.

"Ciao! It's-a Roman!"

"Hey, it's Matthew. Do you think you can fill in for me today? I didn't get much sleep last night, and I don't think I can handle the centre."

"Up all night with a bella, eh? No problem, I was the same back in my hayday. Why, back in my day-"

Roman launched into a long story about how much love and attention he had received back when he was younger, giving no chance for Matthew to explain he hadn't been with anyone the night before. But knowing that Roman probably wouldn't believe him anyways, Matt let it slide, and thanked the other for helping, and promising to take a shift for him later.

He hung up the phone and lay back, breathing out heavily. He could feel sleep creeping up on him, slowly taking over, quiet and calm…so peaceful…

Kuma whined, scratching at the door. He needed to pee.

Matthew whined too, and got up to unlock the door. He stepped out with the dog and warily looked around his yard, taking in the squirrels running across some low branches and a lone chipmunk skittering away from Kuma.

"Now that it's sunny, I may as well take a look….." Matt decided. Seeing as the sunlight would allow him to fully assess the damage, the blonde carefully made his way down to the broken wood pile.

He crouched down and felt the rough edges of the dock splinters. Whatever had done this had done it from the dock, he could tell by the angle of the breaks. It had to have been powerful, since the planks were torn up around were the ladder had been, and the ladder itself was smashed and detached. There was also a small splat of red on the wood. Whatever had done this, had also hurt itself in the process.

"And how much is this gonna cost…" Matthew lamented, trying to remember the phone number for the carpenter in town. What was his name again? Waldo? Barry?

"Berwald!" Matthew snapped his fingers as the name came to him. He stood up and went back to the cabin, taking a small chunk of the dock with him. Hopefully, he could book for the repairs to happen before Alfred arrived, therefore allowing for less hassle and more time with just him and his twin.

He had started up the steps when he noticed Kuma was coming back too, finished relieving himself. But the dog stopped just short of the steps, suddenly stopping and sniffing the air. He crouched low and growled at Matt, baring his teeth.

"Hm?" Matt was confused. "C'mere boy," he did the 'come here' gesture with his fingers, and whistling softly.

Kuma growled louder and barked, stepping back.

Matthew got off the steps and went up to Kuma. It wasn't until he was right up to the labrador that he noticed something off. He stepped to the side and realized that it wasn't him that was being growled at-

It was the porch. Or rather, something under it.

Carefully, Matthew went up the steps and retrieved the flashlight from his room, then went back outside. Peering under the porch, he saw nothing until he turned on the light and shone it around.

The light caught on a few small rocks, one of Kuma's chew toys, a kid, a stick-

Matthew jumped when he saw the kid, hitting his head on the porch above him. Cursing, he dropped the flashlight, which bounced and lit various areas haphazardly, making the kid panic. They receded further under the porch, their escape blocked off by the adult. Matthew could hear them whimpering, and hurriedly picked up the light, shining it just next to them so they wouldn't be blinded.

"Hey, calm down, it's ok!" he made sure to block off the exit so Kuma couldn't come running in, and reached out a hand.

"I'm Matthew, what's your name?"

The kid slid back more, scraping across the rocks. The ranger saw a hint of red on the kid's legs, running down their calves. His eyes widened.

"That looks bad," he crouched down, to appear less threatening. "Come out and I'll patch that up. Please, I just want to help."

The kid was pressed as far back as they could.

"Please?" Matthew tried again.

The two looked each other over for a minute, taking in each other's features.

The kid had very short, cropped hair and was wearing-

"Are those mine?" Matthew thought to himself, noting his beige shorts that he had hung on the clothesline the day before. "He must be a runaway…"

"Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat, if you want. But you have to come out," Matthew added quickly.

The kid's stomach growled, giving him away. He slowly edged towards the adult.

Matt backed up and tethered Kuma up again, since he didn't seem to trust the kid. Once he was out from under the porch, the kid crouched low on the ground, his eyes squinting in the light, shifting between Matt and the lake.

"Here," Matthew held out his hand again, and pulled the kid up. The kid gasped, and started to fall over, grabbing at his legs. Matthew caught him and scooped him up, dropping the flashlight on the ground once more. It hit a rock and went out.

Matthew didn't notice. He took the kid inside, leaving Kuma outside. Watching his owner take the trespasser inside, Kuma growled, then smelt something else in the air. He turned to the lake and watched it.

After a minute, a head popped out, and Kuma barked at it roughly, warning it off. The head popped back down immediately, the only sign it had even been there were the ripples on the water.


	3. Chapter 3

"Just wait here for a second, ok? Don't move a muscle." Matthew set the boy on the counter, then hurried to get the first aid kit from a closet. He dismissed Kuma's barking from outside.

"He can just stay out there for now, he doesn't seem to like the kid," the ranger thought to himself, bumping the closet door shut with his hip. He got back into the kitchen in time to see the runaway picking at his legs, yanking out bits and chunks of wood.

"Hey! I told you not to move!" The boy jumped at the voice, and scooted backwards onto the counter. Matthew groped around for a chair, pulling it up and sitting down to face his patient. It was a really bad mess. Torn skin, wood splinters and a rash going up the inside of each of his legs. Matt reached out a hand to get a better look at the rash, but the boy swung his leg, almost kicking the ranger. Matt dodged, falling off his chair and onto the floor. The boy used this instant to jump up and off the counter.

But the instant his feet hit the ground, he squealed in pain, collapsing. Matt rolled to grab him, wincing at the blood that was now oozing out of the leg wounds.

"It'll only get worse if you struggle! Calm down please. Please." Matthew used one hand to turn the boy's face to his, forcing eye contact. Matt's soft bay blues, tinged with lavender met the terrified green, sending peace and worry. After a moment, the struggling stopped, and the boy's actions calmed, his pupils dilating.

Slowly, the ranger got up, pulling up the boy as well and setting him back on the counter. The boy's knees lined up at the counter edge, which poked into the backs of his bruised knees. Matthew pulled out the tweezers and looked up at his patient.

"This is going to sting."

The boy made no move that he understood, but Matthew went along anyways, grabbing the first splinter he saw and easing it out.

"Nnnnnnnn!" the boy squirmed, but Matt held the leg in place with his free hand. Once the splinter was out, he reached up towards the sink and groped around. The boy stopped wriggling and watched the adult's hand. After a second, he passed Matthew a plate from the sink-side.

"A bowl would have been better, but this'll work," the ranger set the splinter on the plate, then set the plate on the floor. The next splinter went a bit easier, the boy now knowing what was coming.

The next six minutes passed in this way, the two silent except for the occasional whimpers as a particularly large wood bit was pulled out.

Pulling out of his concentrated mood, Matthew decided to see if he could get more information about the boy.

"So what happened? Does all this have something to do with my broken dock and that loud noise last night?"

The boy said nothing, and just looked at the adult. He tilted his head, miming that he didn't understand.

"English? No?"

Tilt.

"Parlez-vous français?" Matthew tried.

Tilt.

A large breath pushed out of the ranger's nose, showing his frustration. _I guess I'll just have to take him to town, and the cops can get his address out of him, or pull up a missing children's poster for him._

Another minute later, the splinters were done, and the plate brought outside to dump in the fire pit. Coming back in, Kuma came in with his owner, and started growling at the boy, who pulled up onto the counter and hissed back. The dog backed off, and Matt pulled back a bit too.

 _DID HIS EYES JUST GO WHITE?_ The ranger mentally freaked.

But a blink later and the boy's orbs were leafy again. Rubbing his own eyes, Matt told himself it was just the light. He pulled the disinfectant from the kit and applied it to a cloth. A moment from touching the wounds with it, he pulled back, remembering he had to wipe the blood off first. He grabbed another cloth and wet it under the tap. He wrung some water out, but when he went to turn off the tap, he saw the boy watching the water intently, staring at the steady stream. Matthew pulled a cup from the upper cubboard and filled it, handing it to the boy to drink. The boy held it, staring at the liquid.

The ranger sat down again, taking the boy's left foot in his hand. He lifted it, bringing it in close. As the leg bent and moved, Matt felt something was off. He turned the limb about, looking at it from each angle.

Besides the bruising, it turned...oddly. The ankle skin was extra flabby, especially around the front, and when the foot was bent to ninety degrees, it all bunched up. Matt bent the foot so it pointed down, and turned it around. The ankle was pretty much none-existent, smoothing into the leg.

"What the?" Matt toyed with the joints more, checking that it was as he thought he saw it.

"Did you break your ankle?" he asked the boy, but the kid was still staring at the glass of water in his hands, he did look up after a moment, but Matthew remembered that the kid wouldn't have understood anyways, so he just went back to toying with the joints, not noticing how sticky his fingers became, or how salty it smelt.

-0-

Arthur was cross. There wasn't really other adequate word to describe his mood at the moment.

He tore at the weeds around him, yanking them out of their roots, tearing each part into little bits. Not only had _it_ gotten away again, it had escaped out of the lake, and now had help from humans!

Arthur's shimmering green tail flicked the waterweed chunks away, irritatedly stirring the lake water. He had been so close!

Then the stupid Halfling had jumped onto that dock, smashing the wood to create a sharp hazard that the merman could not go near, without risk of impalement.

The merman had retreated for the time being, but he saw no chance to grab _it._ It was now inside the human dwelling, perhaps exposing their whole existence! The most closely guarded secret- and it just-

"Calm down, calm down,' Arthur clicked to himself, the high clicks coming from his throat bringing his actions to a halt. He drifted in the water, the light current pushing him along.

 _It may not know human speech yet, it didn't have much time with...anyways, it has to get back in the water sometime, right? It is half-aquatic._

With that, swam back up to the surface, slowly easing his head out of the water. He ignored the plants sticking to his cropped blonde locks, and checked that the coast was clear. Seeing it was, he went closer to the smashed dock, peeking up and out, staring at the human dwelling. The barking creature had gone away for now, more interested in one of the small tree creatures.

Arthur scrutinized the area the best he could, but the bright sunlight was really hurting his eyes. He closed his second eyelids, the foggy ones for keeping the grime out of his forested pools while he swam, but it only helped a bit. He ducked under the water for a brief respite.

 _You can do this, you can do this...it's the only way._ Arthur fingered his cropped hair. _You can do this._

He poked his head out again, seeing a human descending the steps of the dwelling. He watched as the human plopped a bunk of something on the ground, then go back inside, the barking creature going in with him.

Arthur ducked again, then used all his energy to propel his torso out of the water, to see what the human had disposed of.

Wood. Bloody wood. The wind blew a few about, and brought their scent to the merman. He closed his eyes as he took it in, sinking back into the lakewater with a smirk.

-0-

Finally, Matthew realized he was supposed to be cleaning the blood off, he grabbed the cloth and started wiping the odd foot, ceasing his toying and examining.

"Mm!" the boy wriggled again, the water spilling out of his cup and over his legs as well as onto Matt's glasses.

"Careful!" he set down the cloth and started to wipe his glasses on his sleeve.

Kuma started going nuts, jumping and skittering all over, barking up a storm. He scratched at the porch screen door, starting to tear it apart.

"Kumaaaaaa," Matt whined. He already had enough going on/broken- the screen was one too many. He got up and pulled the door open, watching the mutt skitter down the steps and tumble into a mess on the ground. Roughly getting up, Kuma ran for-

"A stick?"

Matthew descended the steps slowly, the door clacking shut behind him. He wiped his glasses a second time, to be sure of what he was seeing. There was a giant branch sticking out of the reeds by the water, and it was reaching into the yard, towards the fire pit.

Or, it _had_ been.

The golden retriever had grabbed the wood by the middle with his sharp fangs, growling as he tugged. The other end yanked as well, but neither side was making much headway. Matthew advanced a few paces, stunned by the sight. Kuma adjusted his footing and gave a violent pull, causing the other end to give a bit, yanking a pale hand into view for a moment.

"Oi!" Matthew walked towards the reeds, determined to pull whomever out from hiding, to ask what the hell they were doing. He was about five paces away when a large THUMP came from his cabin. He turned to the sound, and the reed-person used that noise as a distraction to fling the branch up and into the lake, tugging Kuma along partway. The dog lunged into the salty liquid after the branch, while the reed-man sprayed water everywhere, diving for the branch as well. He disappeared under the water after getting deep enough, then torpedoed to his prize, sticking one arm up and out of the water to hold it up as he swam away. Kuma gave a valiant effort to catch up, but lost and took the wet path back to land. He headed to the dock, and barked for his owner.

"Why can't today be normal? Just why?" The ranger carefully went to the end of the dock and pulled Kuma up and out, rewarded by a salt water shower. The dog then turned back to face Twinkle Lake, waiting.

Matthew waited.

And waited.

But the dog didn't make any move to go back inside, so the human decided to check up on the runaway inside, and figure out the source of the thump.

-0-

Inside, he found the counter void of any kids, but a quick look around revealed the boy had curled up on the couch, wrapped in a large quilt. The only visible parts of him was a touch of his face, left out to allow for air. He regarded the adult with a look of tired anger, his eyelids drooping.

Matthew yawned, seeing how cozy the kid was reminding him of the hectic night he had had, and the boy reciprocated it. Matthew gave a small smile.

"Alright , you go ahead and have a nap there, I'm going to make a few calls about your family." _Hey, he doesn't understand, so why not say what I'm doing? Heck I could even-_

 _"_ Fuck geese." The boy simply continued to fight to stay awake, the quilt drooping a bit off him.

Matthew went to the next room to grab the phone and his laptop, coming back to find his temporary ward passed out and snoring softly. He set down the electronics and started to clean up the first aid kit, figuring that he could finish patching the runaway later. He already had the splinters out so...

-0-

Arthur grinned, his sharp predator teeth gleaming in the faint light that crossed through the water. He carefully kept his prize dry, lest its effects be watered down and reduced to junk.

It had been a humiliating experience, squinting in the bright light while he fought the barking creature for the branch that served as his extended arm, lying as close onto the land as he could. But it was over, and he had it now, his prize.

He had it. The Halfling's blood.

Now came the harder part.

Coming after the Halfling on land.


	4. Chapter 4

_"I love you, my precious child...run!"_

 _"We love you so mu-"_ A giant lump of airborne furry woke The Halfling from their dreams, thrashing around into a blanketed tangle of limbs. Kumajiro jumed off the couch, barked at the Hallfing, and trotted off to the kitchen for his dinner, left on the floor in his favourite bowl.

The child watched the dog with resent. He then rolled over and started to untangle himself out of the quilt, rolling onto the ground in the process. Matthew finally came into the room, disturbed by all the noises. He spotted the child on the floor, and went over to help. He grabbed the one end and pulled, rolling out his 'guest' onto the ground. Now free, he wiped a few stray tears off of his face. _Stupid dreams._

He adjusted the large shorts on their waist, trying to hide the huge tears down the middle that split each of the shorts-legs open. It didn't work.

"What the-" The ranger stared at his torn shorts in confusion. How the hell did that happen? The kid hadn't left the couch?

Whatever had happened, the runaway needed to change outfits. Matthew set the blanket down on his lap and went to grab some clothes from his room. Rifling around, he pulled out an old pair of jeans with a large paint stain down the left leg, and his University of Hetalia sweatshirt. He didn't wear either anymore, so he wouldn't mind if they got destroyed.

He brought the clothes out to the child and set them down next to him. "Here. I'm going to make us some dinner now, ok? Once you're changed you can watch some tv- the clicker's on top of it."

Giving the boy some relative privacy, Matthew took Kumajiro outside and attached his collar to the leash tied to the porch. Once secured, Kumajiro was given a pat then left alone. Matthew went back inside and checked through the fridge.

"How about some fried fish?" He called into the living room. He knew that the boy wouldn't answer, but it felt nice to be interacting with another human. "Some American visitors forgot to leave some scales on them when they gutted the fish, so they were forbidden to take these across the border. So I got them as a present."

He set out the pan and turned on the stove, deciding to do some pasta with it. He turned his back to pull out the noodle packet, lost in the great expanse of the unknown (aka the pantry). When he turned around, the runaway had come into the kitchen and was now staring down the semi-frozen fish. He looked starved.

"It's trout." Matthew stated, then crouched down next to his guest so as to get the pasta pot. He set it on the floor so he could close the cupboard, then noticed how the jean bottoms bunched up all along the boy's calves. He stood up, set the pot on the stovetop, then lifted the kid up and set him on the counter. The boy yanked the jeans back up as they sagged lower and lower on his waist.

"Sorry, I'll get you a belt later. Though I'm not sure if mine will fit on you..." He rolled up the jean bottoms, not wanting the boy get more injured than he already was. He then stepped back so as to let the youth get down from the counter. Instead though, the boy held out his arms, the sleeves of the sweater dangling long over his wrists and hiding his hands. Smiling, Matthew rolled these up too.

"Matthew," the ranger pointed to himself. "Matthew."

The boy nodded, understanding the obvious gestures. He made some clicking noises, then, "Aaaaaaa-lvvvi."

"Alvin?" The clicking noises were weird, and the kid's voice sounded like it was struggling. Did he not speak much?

"Aaaaaaal- _vvi_."

"Alvi." _What a weird old name- at least it'll make it harder to find his family,_ the Ranger thought. He returned his attention back to dinner, spotting a bite had been taken out of one of the raw fish filets. The boy licked his thin lips.

-0-

Arthur flicked his tail in annoyance. He had left the lake and gone downstream a ways to find some ingredients for his potion. He worried a bit about the Halfling escaping in the meantime, but then again, the human that had taken in the Halfling wouldn't want to let _it_ escape, not after taking it inside his home.

But then again...humans could be unbelievably stupid. Arthur fingered the ends of his hair in memory. _If I hadn't..._

The stream pushed him into the sand, bringing him back into the present. Readjusting his position, he carefully uprooted the water weeds and set them inside his rucksack. He checked that the wood splinters were still in their air bubble, then closed the bag. The stream was uncomfortably shallow, the surface being very low-set. If Arthur had laid on his back, he would have had no trouble seeing up into the air above, watching the birds fly high overhead.

Instead though, he crept back upstream, to Twinkle Lake. The sun would be going down soon, the ideal time for him to find a dry area for his magic.

-0-

Matthew set the plates down onto the dining table slowly. Cooking with Alvi waiting nearby had been almost as much a hassle as if his dog had been in the kitchen. The boy had freaked out when the flame turned on on the stovetop, and then looked heartbroken when the fish had been fried, like Matthew had been destroying it. The pasta had gone by a bit better...and then Alvi had stood over the uncovered, boiling pot, getting a face full of burning steam. At that point, Matthew had half a mind to tie him up outside too, but opted for setting him in front of the tv and putting on _Finding Nemo._

Now that the food was ready, he was feeling a bit more patient. Especially since not a single peep had come from Alvi. The boy now had a zonked-out expression on his face, his eyes going slightly unfocused as he stared at the electronic entertainment box.

"Food's ready," Matt picked up the remote and stopped the movie. Alvi jumped, then clambered up to the set, rubbing the screen. He made more clicking noises, sounding distressed.

"You can finish it after we eat," the ranger set down the clicker and sat down at the table. Alvi crawled away from the screen and to the table, siiting next to his "host". Matthew pointed to the other chair. Alvi clambered onto it. He settled down, wriggling into a comfy position.

Then he saw the food.

He took in a big sniff, closing his eyes like someone in a movie. For an instant, Matthew spotted the whited-out eyes again, before Alvi slammed his face down onto the food, snarfing it down like a dying man. His hands eventually came into the mix, pushing food into his mouth even faster before being licked clean and used to hold up the plate for more licking.

He then looked up, licking his lips and cheeks.

"Ooookay, you were hungry, I get it." He felt a bit put off his own food, but ate it anyways, slowly demonstrating how he was _using a fork like a civilized person._ Alvi watched intently, slowly coming out of his crazed hunger-state. He noticed the utensils set out for him and felt embarrassed. He licked his lips again, then wiped his face with his hands, trying to get the drying, sticky sauce off his face.

"Hang on," Matt reached for the washcloth on the counter, then tossed it over to Alvi. Alvi caught it, one eye covered by a sticky hand. He cleaned himself off, then tossed the cloth back.

"Want some bread?" Matthew pushed a couple slices over. Alvi put them on the plate, then stared at the fork and knife. He glanced up at Matthew, then picked up the fork, trying to match what the adult was doing. Once he thought he had it he poked the bread, his loose grip making the fork fall out of his hand. It clattered loudly on the tabletop.

"You can eat _that_ with your hands."

The boy didn't understand, and tried again, this time with the knife substituting the fork.

Matthew tried making a clicking noise, and grabbed a piece of bread with his hand, wiping it across his saucy plate before bringing it to his mouth. Alvi watched and copied. They both smiled.

-0-

Arthur watched the sunset from the shadows of the reeds. He had only seen a scant few before and relished the sight. Such pretty colours...

He turned away with hesitation, waiting for the moon to rise. It was vital that the moon be full, for peak magic levels. He dreaded to think that he might have missed the full moon the night before, the sky clouded over where he had been, if he had dared to look up from the bottom of the lake. He had been brooding over how the Halfling had escaped onto dry land, a realm he was very exposed in.

His heart pounding in his chest, he waited for the moon.

-0-

"Hey, full moon tonight." Matthew watched the giant ball of white rise slowly from the horizon. He looked to his calendar-

"Wait, no. That's tomorrow. So it's a mostly-full moon." He brought Kumajiro back inside, holding his collar tightly. Alvi was zonked out in front of the TV again, therefore a sudden Kuma attack was likely to end badly.

He guided Kuma to the couch, where he sat down next to the boy. Feeling the weight, Alvi looked over and scooted away from the dog. Matthew slowly let go of the collar. Kuma turned his head and sniffed Alvi, who scooted back more. Kuma stood up and went closer to sniff better. Matthew gently but firmly pushed Kuma back. The dog slid down to lie on the floor. Everyone relaxed.

As Dory and Marlin waved Nemo goodbye as he left for school, Matthew felt Alvi shift closer, lying on him. Through the fabric of his sweatshirt, he could feel how cool Alvi's skin was. The boy breathed slowly and deeply.

"Time for bed then." The ranger moved out from under his guest and put the DVD away. He turned back to see Kuma climbing up onto the couch. Alvi rolled back a ways, arms circling around the golden retriever.

Matthew covered them with the quilt and turned off the light.

-0-

Arthur was relieved to not have missed the full moon, but felt cheated to have to wait another night- what if _it_ took off? He couldn't follow yet, and it was unlikely that _it_ would go back in the water, now that it was aware of Arthur's presence.

He took in a deep breath of air, then swam down to the bottom of the lake, near the ranger's cottage. He settled amongst the boulders, holding one of the smaller ones for stability.

 _I'm sorry sister...but I have to. For our family's sake. I have to bring them back._

He drifted into a restless sleep, the waters smoothing over his sleeping form.

 **Me: I should really write that essay now**

 **Brain: OR or or!**

 **Me: ?**

 **Brain: We could update the thing**

 **If anyone has any questions about mermaid physiology, just ask! Next chapter gets more interesting, I promise.**

 **Also! Who wants GerIta in this fic? Ludwig will show up later, but I wanna know if you guys would rather him be Feli's buddy or bae**


	5. Chapter 5

_The boy couldn't breathe. Arthur grabbed him from behind, pushing him towards the surface, hoping that he could make it on time. They broke the surface and the boy turned around, eyes like the sky above them staring at Arthur. The merboy tried to pull away, but the human boy grabbed him, starting to sink again. The weird contraption on his face fell off and into the water._

 _Arthur struggled, but the human was stronger than he looked, desperate to stay alive. The sun hurt Arthur's eyes, blinding him. Arthur ducked down into the water and the human let go. In the shimmering dark, Arthur saw the underside of a boat come near, and he pushed the boy up from underneath. The boy tried to pull him along, but Arthur resisted and swam down, terrified of being seen. He watched the boat move away from the bottom of the lake. In his hands..._

Arthur awoke, brushing a few curious fish away from his face with his hand. He stretched his back, unfurling from around the boulder. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he felt beside him for his bag. Not feeling it, he turned to look for it, but still could not find it. His eyes widened.

He desperately tore at the surrounding weeds, digging and stirring up the dirt around him.

 _Air..._

Forced by the need to breathe, he surfaced, but dove back immediately, taking in some water as well as oxygen.

 _No no no nooooo_

He swam in circles, shifting through the murky water. A few rays of sunlight penetrated the depths, making something glint...

Arthur snatched up the glasses, spotting the rest of his bag drifting along the bottom a ways along. He scooped up the remnants quickly, shoving them back inside the semi-meshed fabric. He surfaced again, coughing up water.

Composing himself, he examined the glasses tightly gripped in his hand. There were no new scratches, thank goodness. He pulled a scrap of fabric from inside his jumbled bag and wrapped up his treasure.

 _Stupid human._ He felt the ends of his hair, remembering how long they had been before the incident.

 **Any merfolk seen by a human must be marked with the sign of disgrace.**

Arthur shivered as a wind blew through him, traveling with the words of the pod's Leader. The knife had felt so sharp against his hair, it hurt down to his soul. And just like that...

A boat engine roared to life nearby, and Arthur dove under.

 _I_ will _regain my honour. Even if it means becoming an abomination._

 _-0-_

Matthew woke early, and prepared breakfast before Alvi could wake up. As he placed the empty bacon packet in the trash, he planned his day. He'd have to go to town for groceries today anyways, but should he take the runaway to the Police Station before, or after? He decided on after, since Alvi might be awkward to bring into the market- the old Greek woman at the till, when not dozing in her chair, would always ask Matthew if he had children yet.

Kumajiro smelt the bacon and trotted into the kitchen, watching. Waiting.

Matt tossed him a piece of half-cooked bacon, then wiped up the grease stain when the dog had finished. He then placed the rest of the bacon on a plate, then whipped up some pancake batter. It felt like a sort-of goodbye offering to Alvi, the best bacon pancakes that the Ranger could offer.

Alvi sat up on the couch, watching the food being set out. His stomach growled ravenously and he ducked down in embarrassment.

"Food's ready!" Matthew sat down.

Alvi peered over the edge of the couch again and clambered over it to the table. He sat up at the table next to Matthew and stared at the adult. Matthew picked up his fork and knife, and placed two pancakes on Alvi's plate. He served himself, pouring out generous amounts of maple syrup onto both of their mini stacks.

He then demonstrated that _these are not hand-foods,_ over-exaggerating with his silverware. Alvi followed suit, wrapping the fork and knife up with a fist each.

They ate in relative silence, one piece of Alvi's food landing on the ground for Kuma to gobble up. Alvi couldn't help licking the plate clean after though, the syrup's sweetness proving too tempting. Sticky, he looked very satisfied.

Matthew reached for the wash cloth, but decided against it.

"I'll run you a shower instead, you smell like you need one." The adult cleared the dishes, then beckoned for the youth to follow him to the bathroom. When he reached the bathroom, he saw that Alvi hadn't come with. He found Alvi leaning heavily on the dining table, slowly putting weight onto his legs.

 _You can't be_ that _badly hurt._ He pulled Alvi away.

The boy's legs bent and swayed, and he grabbed the adult. Matthew supported him and watched as Alvi's left leg bent backwards and forwards like a noodle.

Freaking out, Matthew picked him up and put him on the countertop. He pushed up the jeans leg and looked at the damage.

"What?"

There was no damage. In fact, the splinter holes from the day before had gone too, though the rash still lingered. Matthew took Alvi's thigh in one hand, and his foot in the other. He bent them forwards and back, watching as the joints complied, not a single noise of pain coming from the owner of the joints.

"What the hell..." Matthew played with the joints some more. "Did you run away from the circus? I'd bet Ellen would wanna give you tickets to Disneyland..."

He let go of Alvi.

"So this is why you can't walk? But wouldn't you have adjusted to these by now? After..." He wasn't sure how old Alvi was. Eight? Twelve? He guesstimated around twelve, closer to eleven. "Someone must be worried sick about you, if you're like this..."

He decided to forgo the shower and wiped Alvi's face with the wet cloth.

Matthew checked the clock. It was creeping up on nine-thirty, so the grocery store would be open soon, then the police station. He carried Alvi out to the truck, and whistled for Kuma. He settled both into their spots and started up the truck. Alvi jumped at the noise, grabbing the dash when his seat started to vibrate a little along with the vehicle.

Matthew double-checked that the boy's seat-belt was done up, and drove them to town.

-0-

Officer Tino handed Alvi a lollipop, then continued talking with Matthew.

"I'm sorry, we just can't take care of him right now. We're understaffed, and can't expend anyone to keep an eye on him."

"Can't you lock him up in a cell when you're out?" Matthew was getting frustrated. He couldn't look after Alvi either, he had a job too!

Tino shook his head. "He doesn't speak English, so confining him would only scare him and make him freak out." He looked over to Alvi and saw that the boy hadn't opened the lolly yet. Matthew saw this and opened it for him and stuck it in the boy's mouth.

"You seem alright with him, could you look after him until we can run the files to find his family? It should only take a few hours, a day at the latest."

"...Is there any way we could figure what he speaks? What was it you spoke again? Finnish?"

"Yes, and some Swedish, as well as a few words in Danish and Norwegian."

"Maybe he speaks one of those! Could you try?"

Tino nodded and took a knee in front of Alvi.

"Missä on perheesi lapsi?" He switched from Finnish to Swedish. "Var vill du mig?"

Alvi jumped. "Maar."

Matthew sighed in relief. "What did he say?"

Tino blinked. "I don't know."

"What."

"That wasn't any language I speak...it sounded close to Swedish, but not quite. Maybe it was Icelandic?" He grabbed a pencil and his notebook, handing them to Alvi. "His name sounds Scandinavian though, but it is a very old name. Maybe he is Sami?"

"Sammy?" Didn't he say his name was Alvi?

"Indigenous people in the north of Scandinavia and Russia." Tino clarified.

Alvi looked over the pen and paper. Matthew mimed a writing motion to him. Alvi compiled...then Tino turned the pencil around the correct way. Alvi continued, scribbling all over the page. After the page was full, Tino took it back. He frowned.

"I guess he's illiterate." He showed the page to Matthew. It was mostly wiggly lines, no discernable words. There were a few letter-like characters, but they weren't English. Matthew pointed one out.

"What's this?"

Tino squinted at the page and erased some of the pencil marks that hid the symbol, and looked it over.

"It looks a little like an Old Norse letter, but I'm not sure. I'll search it-"

His walkie-talkie buzzed to life, and Tino stepped away to answer the call. After a bit he came back.

"I'm sorry, we'll have to continue this later. I'll research the mark when I can, but don't get your hopes up- it might just be a doodle."

-0-

Alvi sat in the grocery cart, legs curled up underneath him. He looked at the colourful packages pass by as Matthew pushed the cart along, occasionally adding something to the cart beside Alvi.

Matthew was glad that the boy was calm and behaving- he was starting to get a headache. He tossed some Ibuprofen to the cart. When they reached the till, Alvi passed him the items to give to the cashier.

Hera, waking from her nap, looked over Alvi. She addressed Matthew.

"Nephew?"

"Not really."

"Ok."

They paid and left, pushing the cart out to the truck. Matt put the cart back and buckled in Alvi.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing~

Matthew answered the phone quickly, turning away from Alvi for a tad more privacy.

"Hello?"

"S'up broha!"

 _Shit. Right, Alfred's coming over._ "Hey bro."

"I think I'll be at yours early tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll get up early so we can spend the whole day together! You don't work Sundays, do you?"

"No."

"Awesome! See you tomorrow!" He hung up before the ranger could mention Alvi, leading Matthew to wonder how he would handle the two together. They _could_ theoretically keep an eye on each other...

A text popped up on his cell from Roman.

 _Could you take over for me this afternoon? Feli needs help with the filtration system for the tank._

"Right now?" Matthew considered it. The center had a few nature flicks he could put on to keep Alvi busy, as well as some colouring pages...

 _'Ok'_ He texted back. He put the phone into the glove box and started up the truck.

"Have you ever seen the caribou migration tape Alvi?"

-0-

Arthur watched the human machine rumble back into the human's yard. He had seen the human leave, but wasn't sure if he had taken the Halfling with him. He had slowly crawled his way up onto the land by the human's dwelling, hoping to peek inside, but the one window that had been eye-level to him was covered in curtains, so his scratched tail fin had been for nought.

Now, he saw the human carry _it_ inside, and he felt some relief, sprinkled with fear. Had _it_ gotten hurt? He knew that the wood splinters had been covered in the Halfling's blood, but he didn't think that it would injured enough that it was unable to walk!

He watched the human some more, then dove when the furry braking creature smelt him and went his way.

Well, hurt or no, he would take the Halfling into his custody that night, and then they would return to the pods, him rewarded and _it..._ he pushed the thought away.

-0-

Matthew put the groceries away, noticing how much more he had had to buy to accommodate for his brother and Alvi. One of the cupboards wouldn't close quite right, and he had to leave it.

Alvi chewed on the lollypop stick, smearing a little residue onto his cheek. Matthew decided that now would be a good time for that delayed clean.

"You'll have to have a bath instead of a shower, I don't have a shower-chair." He picked up Alvi bridal-style, taking him to the bathroom. He set him down onto the toilet and started the bath running. After a bit, it was full, and he gestured to it.

"Let me know if you need any help getting out, just holler." Then he face-palmed. The kid didn't speak English. Oh well. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

Alvi watched Matthew close the door, leaving the youth alone with the big, elevated pool of water. The skin on his legs twitched. He pulled off his clothes and climbed over and into the tub.

-0-

Matthew finished the breakfast dishes and wiped the counter down. Sweeping the crumbs into his hand, he caught his finger on something sharp stuck into the counter edge. Wincing, he checked for any loose nails. In its place, he found a shard of green...something. It was slightly shiny, of its own volition and his own blood.

"Where did this come from?" He turned it over and over in his hands. He looked along the counter, trying to spot any more pieces. This was the spot he had left Alvi yesterday when he removed the splinters, maybe the boy knew what it was...

He checked the clock. It was coming up on twenty minutes. He decided to give his guest some more time. Remembering his torn shorts, he searched for them, yanking them out from behind the TV.

The crotch was torn out, as well as the inside of the legs. Matthew placed the tears back together, seeing red-ish stains decorating the edges. Right about where the rash...

Right! He had meant to take Alvi to the clinic! Maybe they could explain what was up with the noodle legs! He went down the hall to the bathroom and knocked.

"Hey? Almost done?"

"Mmm!" Alvi clicked. Several big splashes accompanied him.

Matthew slowly opened the door, giving the youth some time to cover up.

"A-Aaaaa!" Alvi threw something at the door. The ranger closed it most of the way.

"I'm coming in to help you out of the tub. I know you don't get what I'm saying, but calm down!"

He pushed the door open again. "We need to take you to the clinic, to check out your-" his gaze had started on the floor out of respect for Alvi's obvious embarrassment, then raised up to see the youth laying in the tub. Alvi's tail splashed the water about, startled by the human's entrance. The dull green appendage furled out of the tub and onto the floor, twitching with some pleasure taken from being wet.

"...legs..."


	6. Chapter 6

Matthew stared at the simmering tail, his whole body frozen like a sculpture. Alvi splashed about in the tub anxiously. He tried curling in his tail, to hide it from view, but the tub was too small and his body too long. Scared chirps came out of his throat, which he also tried to hide by placing a hand over his mouth in-between each spin in the water. Eventually, the water started to seep over the edge, and the ranger unfroze. He blinked slowly, taking in the sight more carefully, his brain still trying to wrap around what exactly he was seeing. Alvi, spotting the window, tried to yank at it for possible escape, but the panes wouldn't give. Matthew realized how distressed he was making the mer-person, so he snapped out of his phase and tried to calm Alvi down.

"Hey hey hey! It's ok," he said soothingly, but Alvi couldn't hear him over his own scared thoughts and noises. Matthew tried again, this time going up to the younger's top half and pulling his hands away from the window, pulling the curtains closed quickly, though there wouldn't have been anyone around to see.

"Calm down! Please-"Alvi thrashed around more, water splattering across the room. "Alvi stop!"

After what felt like an eternity, the boy in the tub finally slowed his actions, realizing that there was nothing he could do to get free. He refused to look Matthew in the face, instead glaring desolately at his shining tail.

Feeling the scared vibes from his tailed guest, Matthew let go of his wrists, sitting down onto the toilet. The two set in silence for a few minutes, each waiting for the other to say something, to do anything. Finally, Matthew decided to go first, since Alvi was probably having an internal meltdown.

 _Not that I'm not either…this is so weird! I have a merman in my tub! The fuck?!_

"Alvi?" Alvi started a bit at Matthew's voice, but didn't look up. He slouched forward, curling into a ball of sorts as he hugged what had been his thighs. Matthew noticed that the green skin extended up Alvi's tail to his back, fading out halfway up his ribcage where there was now an extra flap of skin. Matthew slowly reached out, and gave the lightest poke to Alvi's back. The youth jolted, and a small sob escaped his lips. Matthew's eyes widened. He took a knee right next to Alvi, staying close.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He gave a light chuckle. "I guess this explains your super-bendy legs then, eh?" He gently looked into Alvi's face, but the other still looked down and away. Matthew noticed some slight shivers going about Alvi's body, and remembered that the water had probably gone cold. He debated between running some more hot water and taking Alvi out of the tub, and chose the former.

 _He's scared enough, I don't need to move him right now,_ Matthew silently reasoned as he turned on the tap. There was some spill-off on the floor, so he mopped it up in the meantime.

Alvi looked up as the hot water started to reach him through the colder water. He watched the human as he cleaned the floor. Alvi quickly turned his head back down when Matthew looked up, but kept him in his peripheral vision. As nice as the human had been so far, it was a temporary thing, he was sure. Now that he knew what a freak Alvi was, he would treat him like the others would-

Alvi was startled when Matthew put his hand back on the mer-boy's back, pulling him into a light hug. The human spoke soothingly, and Alvi sobbed a little. Matthew rubbed small circles onto Alvi's back with his hand.

"Shh...shh..." he hummed. They sat like that for a short age, Matthew flipping off the water once the tub was at its limits. He carefully and slowly wiped a few tears off of Alvi's face with his thumb. Alvi glanced up at the human's face and was shocked at the gentleness and tenderness that was plastered all over it. He had never seen someone look at him like that. His crying stopped, and the ranger smiled softly in relief.

"I guess it makes sense now that you didn't have any clothes, eh?" Matthew realized aloud. From the next room, he could hear his cell ringing loudly.

"DON'T WANNA BE AN AMERICAN IDIOT!" it chimed at full volume, causing Matthew to know exactly which American Idiot was calling him.

"I gotta get that, I'll be right back," Matthew quickly scurried to answer the device, leaving Alvi alone in his tub of warm water.

The mer-boy slunk down into the liquid, letting the warmth wash over him. It felt so much nicer than the lake water he had been accustomed to. The human world seemed warmer in general, compared to the dark regions of underwater that merfolk claimed as their own. It was hard to see in the dark down there, but then again it was sort of hard to get used to how bright it was up here as well. As his thoughts danced around with the idea of eyesight, the image of angry, clouded green eyes burst into his subconscious. Alvi jolted, spilling water onto the floor again.

 _He'll come here! He'll get Matthew!_ Alvi panicked. The human had been so nice, he couldn't let him get hurt. A few tears clouded his vision. _I have to leave._ He looked down at the tiled floor, remembering how hard it had felt against his sensitive foot soles. He looked back to the door, listening to Matthew speaking softly on the thingermajig.

He looked back to the floor. Alvi gripped the tub edge tightly and started to shift over it.

-0-

The ranger picked up his phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hey bro."

"Mattieeeeeee!"

"Look, I'm kind of busy so-"

"Too busy for your best brother? I'm hurt!"

"You're my only brother, aren't you?"

"The only one you need, bro!"

"More like the only one I can handle," Matthew muttered away from the mouthpiece.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Right, so do I turn left or right at Poppy Pond? It says both ways are west, and it's not on my map..."

"Left. You're that close already?"

"Yep! I'll be here tomorrow morning!"

Matthew mentally noted to hurry up and clear up the guest room, when he remembered that his twin didn't know about Alvi. At all.

"Hey, um...sooo..." he tried to figure out how to phrase 'I have a merman staying with me' without seeming like he had gone insane from lack of interaction with other people.

"What? Oooh! Skunk!" He heard Alfred's truck slow down on the other end of the phone.

"Please don't pet it."

"Hey! I thought you were going to let that go! And that one totally didn't have the white stripe!" The truck sped up again. "Anyways, what were you saying?"

"Oh! Um, I've got a runaway staying with me for a while. Actually, think you could look after him a bit for me while I work?"

"Runaway? How old is he?"

"Not sure, maybe ten? He doesn't speak English."

"No prob, bro. I'll take him swimming!"

"No! I mean wait, he, uh, has a skin rash? The doc says he can't get his skin wet for the next few...weeks." Matthew hoped Alfred hadn't heard the lie for what it was.

"Oh, damn. Could we catch it?"

Apparently not.

"No, we're safe."

"Ok, I'll see y'all tomorrow then!"

"Ok, b-"

A large PHWUMP cut off Matthew's goodbye and he clocked the phone off in a flash, running back to the bathroom. Shoving the door open all the way, he found Alvi on the floor, flat on his back. He had tried to slowly get out, but when you're wet, it's hard to hold onto something. The fall had knocked the air out of him, leaving him stunned. The wet, slippery tail trailed out of the tub, plopping onto the tiles after.

Matthew's eyes widened.

"Alvi! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone in here! Here," he tried to lift Alvi back up, but slipped on the water. He steadied himself on the sink and reached for the towels. He lay down the bath-mat and stepped on it, drying his feet instantly. He knelt and pulled the mer-boy up and towards him, slightly straddling the tail.

"You ok?" He lightly at Alvi. Alvi smiled softly back.

"Phew! You scared me!"

Apparently, Kuma had been scared too, and came trotting in, sniffing and licking Alvi. Alvi squealed and chirped, laughing at the tickling tongue. Kuma jumped on him, knocking him back onto the floor and out of the human's hands.

Matthew sat back on his hunches and watched the scene, tempted to take a picture. Maybe, just maybe, he could pull this off.


	7. Chapter 7

Now that Matthew had Alvi right up by him, he took a second to examine the non-human's tail more closely. Upon closer inspection, the tail wasn't scaly, but seemed to just be coloured skin, soft and rubbery like a whale or a beluga. Matthew shifted back onto the floor and crossed his legs, gently bringing the finned end section onto his lap.

Alvi watched with baited breath as the human looked over the ends of what were sometimes Alvi's toes. They had kept their toenails, but as the fin had formed, each toe had greatly lengthened and gotten webby, providing the support necessary for swimming at high speeds. The former toenails were longer too, and longer. Matthew likened it to a bass's tail, except with claws sticking out every few centimeters.

The adult looked to Alvi as he carefully held the appendage, starting to lightly bend it, waiting for Alvi's approval. Alvi looked right back, not understanding. After a minute, Alvi lay back down, deciding that Matthew meant no harm.

The ranger used this acceptance to lightly swish the fin back and forth, noting how sharp the "claws" were.

"Definitely don't want ya to roadhouse-kick me with this," he joked.

Alvi shivered. The tiles were cold and made the youth want to be back in the tub. Or back on the big soft thing covered by the long flat warm thing.

 _Maybe Matt-ew can teach me what those things are called,_ Alvi fantasized. _Oh wait, I can't stay. Matt-ew is so nice, he shouldn't get hurt because of me._ Alvi sighed. _He's so nice! And the loud licking-thing is nice too,_ he thought as Kuma nuzzled his nose into Alvi's face. Alvi giggled at the hot breath and grabbed the dog's face, blowing on it playfully. Kuma sneezed, and Alvi unintentionally copied.

Matthew checked around and found his sweater in a heap where the mer-child had dumped it when changing. He handed it to Alvi, laying it across his torso. As Alvi tried to sit up, Kuma stepped on his chest, sniffing and licking.

"Oi, furball," the adult pulled the dog back by the collar, holding him away. Alvi carefully pulled himself up, leaning against the still-warm tub. He traced the metal, wondering if he could just ask to get back in-

Alvi jolted in pain, eyes going wide. He curled inwards, gritting his sharp teeth.

"Hey-" Matthew noticed the look, and worriedly pushed Kuma out of the room and closed the door. Alvi quickly yanked the large hoodie on, then flopped back onto the ground, hissing and clicking in pain.

 _Too late._

-0-

Arthur watched the ghost of sunset trickle down through the lake-water and gathered up his things. It would be time to act soon, and if he didn't perform his ceremony tonight, on the most magical time of the moon's cycle, he might not have the mystical energies for it for another month. He listened as the last few boats returned to their respective docks for the evening, waiting until the sunlight was nearly gone before daring to surface near the shore. There was a little patch of wooded marsh next to the house that the Halfling was hiding in, so Arthur decided to set up there, retrieving his dry ingredients from their cache.

He gently tossed what he could onto the earth and started crawling up after it.

This was painful, but not as painful as what would be happening at the height of the moon.

-0-

Matthew watched helplessly as Alvi twitched and thrashed, very obviously in pain. The caudal fin retracted, leaving gangly toes with nails much too long to be considered normal, and the skin stretched and tore, creating two separate feet. The rest of the skin did the same, discolouring from green to a bruise-like purple, then an angry red as it returned to its humanoid form. Seeing the change work its way up towards Alvi's thighs, Matthew paled then blushed. He quickly swiped a towel off the rack and lay it over Alvi's hips. It wouldn't do to have a naked kid on his floor.

Alvi slowed down and calmed as the last few sections of skin melded back together, panting. His legs were still an angry red, but that was slowly easing up too, leaving only the "rash" up the limbs, marking where the skin was newly reattached.

"Holy shit." Matthew sat quietly in shock.

Eventually, Alvi sat up, reaching for the jeans in the corner. Matthew suddenly realized that Kuma was whining and barking, wanting back in, angry to be put outside when something important was happening. The ranger spun around and waited a minute for Alvi to pull the jeans on before opening the door back up.

The golden retriever immediately bounded in, yipping at his owner. _Not cool man! What was that about! Rude!_

"Sorry boy," Matthew apologized, but Kuma was already on the other side of the small room, doing that thing where dogs jump around but leave their hind legs on the ground, pivoting around the Mer-child. Alvi clicked back, sounding very much like a dolphin. Matthew supposed that the two species must be somewhat related.

He stood up and pulled Kuma back again, reaching out a hand for Alvi. The youth looked at it for a moment, then reached out his own hand, not quite touching but doing the same motion. Matthew went ahead and grasped Alvi's hand, pulling him up. Matthew then lifted up the non-human bridal-style, bringing him into the living room and setting him on a recliner by the window.

"I'm going to make some food now, ok? Food?" Matthew made an eating motion, miming it our for clarity. Alvi beamed, exposing large, sharp teeth.

Matthew gave a wide-eyed nod and stepped back, then went to the kitchen.

Alvi turned to look out the window, flinching at the too-bright light. _How can humans stand this?_ He closed his second set of eyelids and squinted at the outdoors, enjoying the colours.

-0-

As the moon made its appearance, Arthur mashed his ingredients into a bowl he had picked up on one of the coasts he had passed on his journeys across the planet's waters. Adding each piece of the potion in its specific order, he made sure to use the appropriate vocal charms, to ensure the exact magic was occurring in the bowl. Right as he added the final touch, the splinters full of the Halfing's blood, the moon cast its light on him, growing stronger as Arthur pushed forward his incantation. He closed his eyes, feeling the magic course through him.

 _Under the magic of the High Glow Above_

 _Use the essence of mine_

 _Use the essence of the Others_

 _Make what asks into what gave_

 _Until your Might should return what is_

 _I BEG, HIGH GLOW ABOVE_

Arthur opened his eyes as he completed the spell _._

 _HELP ME IN MY QUEST._


End file.
